Comparison

Fret Drill vs SwarIT Ear Trainer

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Fret Drill

Learn guitar notes by playing your actual instrument. The app listens via your microphone and provides instant feedback, guiding you from basic exercises to mastering the entire fretboard. Turn memorization into muscle memory with focused daily practice.

Highlights
  • Practice with your real guitar
  • Instant microphone note detection
  • Step-by-step lessons
  • Smart practice repeating weak spots
  • Progress tracking
  • Customizable lessons
Read full description

Stop hunting for notes. Build real fretboard muscle memory. Fret Drill helps you learn guitar notes by playing your actual guitar. The app shows you a note and a string. You play it. Fret Drill listens through your microphone and tells you when you got it right. Start simple with one string and a few notes. Then work up to all strings, all notes, and the full fretboard. The more you practice, the faster your fingers know where to go. Perfect for guitarists who want to: - Learn every note on the fretboard - Build faster note recall - Stop guessing during solos and practice - Improve confidence while improvising - Turn fretboard memorization into muscle memory Features: - Practice with your real guitar - Instant microphone note detection - Switching between different audio inputs - Simple step-by-step lessons - Smart practice that repeats weak spots - Progress tracking for each lesson - Helpful fret hints when you need them - Custom lessons for specific strings, notes, frets, and tunings A few focused minutes a day can make the fretboard feel much less random. Fret Drill turns guitar note memorization into simple, active practice. This app is provided under Apple’s Standard End User License Agreement https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

SwarIT Ear Trainer

Features
Read full description

SwarIT is the ear-training companion for Hindustani classical learners — built for shishyas, hobbyists, and curious listeners who want to recognize swaras the moment they hear them. Practice with a meditative tanpura drone always at your side. Identify single notes, chords, intervals, and full melodies across all 12 keys. Train in sargam (Sa Re Ga Ma) or Western notation — switch any time. — WHAT YOU CAN PRACTICE — • Single Notes — climb 20+ progressive levels. Score 18/20 to unlock the next. • Chords — recognize triads and seventh chords in real diatonic progressions. • Melodies — identify 2, 3, 4, and 5-note sequences by ear. • Intervals — train the gap between any two swaras. • Songs — visualize the swara movement of classical compositions and film songs. • Free Play — tap a swar circle, hear the note, internalize the scale. • Tune & Feel — guided journeys that teach raga character through repeated, focused listening. — DESIGNED FOR THE WAY YOU PRACTICE — • Authentic Tanpura. Always there. Crystal-clear, looped Sa-Pa samples in every key. No pluck ripples, no distractions — just the meditative drone you'd hear in a real riyaaz session. • Bilingual. Sargam or Western — Sa Re Ga Ma or C D E F. Switch with one tap. • Real Instruments. Sampled guitar, piano, and tenor harmonium. No artificial synth tones. • All 12 Keys. Transpose to any tonic — match your voice or your harmonium. • Distraction-free. Dark, minimalist interface designed for the same calm focus as your morning riyaaz. — WHY SWARIT — Most ear-training apps are built for Western theory. SwarIT is built for raaga. Sargam notation, diatonic progressions inside Indian modes, tanpura as the anchor — every design decision serves the Hindustani learner. Whether you're a vocalist working on swar identification, a sitar student building chord recognition, or a parent helping a child learn classical music — SwarIT gives you focused, gamified practice with sound that respects the tradition. Train your ear. Hear the raga. — PRIVACY — Your audio stays on your device. The microphone is only used for ear-training exercises (vocal-match, tune-it) — audio is processed locally and never recorded or uploaded. Your progress (scores, levels) syncs through your account so you can practice from any device. Questions or feedback? Reach out — we're a small team and we read every message.

Screenshots

Fret Drill4 screens
SwarIT Ear Trainer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SwarIT Ear Trainer at none against Fret Drill's 2. SwarIT Ear Trainer also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.6). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Fret Drill sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. SwarIT Ear Trainer asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Fret Drill ships an update every 2 months, SwarIT Ear Trainer every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Fret Drill versus SwarIT Ear Trainer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFret DrillSwarIT Ear Trainer
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB101 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAndrii SievrikovAanchal Dogra

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Fret Drill

Subscriptions2
  • Weekly Plan7 Days trial$1.997 Days
  • Yearly Plan$29.991 Year
None

SwarIT Ear Trainer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Fret Drill free?
Fret Drill is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SwarIT Ear Trainer free?
SwarIT Ear Trainer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Fret Drill or SwarIT Ear Trainer have ads?
Neither Fret Drill nor SwarIT Ear Trainer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Fret Drill or SwarIT Ear Trainer?
Fret Drill ships an update every 2 months, and SwarIT Ear Trainer every 3 weeks. Most recently, Fret Drill was updated on October 24, 2026 and SwarIT Ear Trainer on October 15, 2026.

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